TASC Transdisciplinary Science case studies
TASC Transdisciplinary Science · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion) Science test is one of the subject-area tests in a high school equivalency battery. Passing the full battery can earn a state-issued high school equivalency credential that employers, trade programs, and some colleges accept in place of a diploma. The science test is written for adults and out-of-school youth who did not finish high school, so it favors reasoning over memorized vocabulary. Content spans four areas: life science, physical science (chemistry and physics), Earth and space science, and scientific inquiry and practices. The TASC Transdisciplinary Science case studies are 5 cases and about 2,107 words.
1The Greenhouse That Ran Hot
A student grows tomato seedlings in a sealed 3 m × 2 m × 2.5 m greenhouse. On day 1, the air inside contains 0.04% CO₂ and the plants photosynthesize at a measurable rate.
411 words, about 2 min2The Vanishing Ice and the Rising Sea
A coastal town measures sea level with a tide gauge and finds it has risen 18 cm over 60 years, about 3 mm per year. A nearby glacier on land has retreated 400 m in the same period, and satellite data show the floating sea ice around the coast has thinned.
424 words, about 2 min3The Battery That Would Not Charge
A student builds a simple circuit with a 9 V battery, a 100 Ω resistor, and an LED rated for 2.0 V and 20 mA. When connected, the LED is dim and the resistor becomes warm.
424 words, about 2 min4The Fertilizer Runoff Puzzle
Two streams feed a lake. Stream A drains farmland and carries high nitrate, while Stream B drains forest and carries low nitrate.
417 words, about 2 min5The Shadow That Moved
A student places a 10 cm tall pencil upright 30 cm from a lamp and measures its shadow on a screen 60 cm behind the pencil. The shadow is 20 cm tall.
431 words, about 2 min